Gift ideas

It’s Friday and also your girlfriend’s birthday today and you are planning to surprise her today evening by gifting her gold ring she has been eyeing on at jewelers shop for a few weeks now. You leave office sharp at 5.30 pm.

You skillfully navigate your car through noisy city traffic and oblivious pedestrians for an hour to reach the place. You are almost flashing the victorious grin when you find the critical and most valuable real estate in the world – The parking spot.

You pay for parking ticket after fumbling through wallet in a hurry to find the change, and almost lost some money when you dropped your wallet. You make run towards the shop through the place crowded with so many people, noisy and sweaty.

You suddenly drop dead in your tracks with a shock and disappointment on face. Looking aghast at the shut gate of the shop you wanted to go to. Let me tell you buddy, the guilt of not been able to buy the gift is not the only concern here; you are more caught up in thinking about the sad look on your girlfriend’s face when you will meet her later.

Traditional (mall-to-mall) shopping for gifts is more often exhausting – physically, mentally and frankly even financially. Not to mention the challenges of finding perfect gift, never-ending payment queues, swimming in sea of people around and worse, looking for items which are running out-of-stock.

Thankfully, this digital age has done a few more good than we sometimes credit it for. Believe me when I say, online gift shopping is as easy as buttering the bread, even for my digitally challenged buddies. It has more perks than we ever thought possible. To tell you, here are a few,

1) It is a 24/7 open mall. It opens the door to ‘the shop that never sleeps’. A perfect blessing for the time crunched world we live in. You can shop at your convenience

2) Imagine a palace full of gifts at your service, with variety that is just so overwhelming. There is just no dearth of the number of online you can find online to choose from. Well you know what they say – ‘More, the Merrier’.

3) You find it first. The latest rage, the trend abroad or ‘the item’ to gift appears online first. You don’t want to miss out on the new and unique things to gift someone.

4) No more crowded and screaming places under the scorching sun. Ladies, save on the sun-tan; Shop for gifts online for your loved ones in the serene calmness of your luxurious room. Plus you also save effort and your hard-earned money on car parking.

5) Online is a great place to compare gifts. You can find more value for money than your local gift store.

6) Benefit from online discounts on gifts or hamper when you search gifts from online. Many online shops feature discount offers on combo gifts which we miss out asking for in a store.

7) No worries on forgetting birthdays or anniversaries. Online gifts can be swift for prompt order deliveries, with some sites prompting for preferred time, let alone the date of delivery.

8) A great place to have a tailor-made gift for you want to make for someone special. You have lot of online gift shops which provide you with personalized and even vintage items that becomes rare collectibles for cherished memories.

9) It is perfect for gifting your dear ones who live far in distant places or abroad. You can put a smile on someone’s face by sending something that will remind them of you ever. And the gift wrapping is a bonus.

10) Online shopping happens to be a big money saver, not just because you are able to find the better deal for the gift you want to buy, but even on other expenses you incur when you go out – eating out, traveling etc. Let’s admit, It does save us from burning a hole in the pocket.

All-in-all the online gifting promises to be a much more exhilarating experience not to mention stress-free and pocket-friendly. As I read somewhere– ‘The manner of giving is worth more than the gift’.